Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-10-01
THE AMERICAN FARMER,
A LACK OF WELL KEPT LAWNS
AND FLOWER GARDENS.

Want OF Interest In the Production Of
Fine Vegetables and Small Fruits In
the west-"Hirsd Men"-Employment
Of Machinery.
Farmers are often blamed because they
do not have well kept lawns and flower
gardens in front Of their houses orna
mented walks about the premises arbor
and shaded seats. Many state that Iaci
OF taste accounts for the absence of si
these things. They are common in VII
lages, and they declare they would /,
common on farms IL their owners hud any
appreciation Of them. Farmers are also
criticised because they do not raise l-reat
variety OF choice vegetables and shall
fruit for home consumption. They ur,
often reminded that they could live much
better than they do, and be ut no GREATER
expense for food, if they would only sei
out and cultivate fruit bearing vines and
bushes, have hot bed and raise fine
vegetables, such as celery, asparagus and
egg plant. They are reminded that city
people have fine vegetables and small
fruits on their tables almost continually,
while farmers rarely ever have them
They are also informed that all these
things cost money" in town, while they
can be had in the country for the trouble
Of raisins them.
LUCK IN LITTLE THINGS.
American farmers, especially those liv-
ing in the west, are informed that farmers
in France, Belgium and Holland obtain
the food for their families almost entirely
from their gardens and poultry yards. and
are thereby able to convert nearly all the
product Of their fields and pastures into
money. 1t has even been shown that
French farmers receive several million
dollars per year for the eggs they send to
England. Farmers in the prairie region
are often informed Of the important part
the garden plays in furnishing food for the
farmers in the eastern states and they are
told that the rich soil in the west is much
better for producing vegetables than the
hard ard stony soil Of New England and
the central states. Still il must be
that not much progress is
made in increasing the production Of fine
vegetables and small fruits on western
farms. The men who follow farming as n
business in the west and endeavOr to make
money by it have few lawns, but little
small plantations of fruit,
smaller flower gardens. and only apologies
for vegetable gardens.
But for all this, and for all that, they
are not deficient in good taste, and not
Of the charms of beauty,
and not. insensible Of the Joys Of the ta-
ble.n Theylike beautiful surroundings
and are fond of coed living. A Combina-
ton OF unfavorable circumstances gen.
orally prevents them from identifying
their farms, from fixing up things"
about the house, from raising small fruits,
and from supplying their tables with
choice home grown vegetables. Western
farms are generally large, and the produc
ton of field crops is conducted on an rex.
tensive scale. Labor Is scarcer and dearer
than in most Of the eastern states, and
very much Scarcer and dearer than in
those foreign countries where SO much at
tention is given to the proluctiyeness Of
small fruits. choice vegetables and fancy
poultry. Most OF our 'hired men, are
new comers-''greenhorn are in
to do anything but the coarse
and rough work on the place. They re-
quire IA large amount Of directing to en-
able them to do this properly. The farmer
has too many things to look after to en-
able him to devote too much time to fruit
raising and gardening.
OFF TO THE TOWN
Hands available for farm work appear
to become scarcer every season. Ambi-
liOus young men who are acquainted with
field and garden work are anxious to OBJ
tain farms for themselves while land is
cheap. Almost all who work for wages
90 to the large towns to seek employment.
The consequences are scarcity Of
farm labOrers, poor service and high
wages. In many places men competent
to raise fruit, to lay out and plant grounds,
and to do work In a flower and vegetable
garden cannot be obtained for the money
hat farmers can raise from the sale Of
,rops, wool and meat at the prices they
must now be sold for.
The general employment Of machinery
IN farms has also eXerted an unfavorable
influence on small fruit culture, land
scape, vegetable and flower gardening.
Persons who have become accustomed to
he use Of machines In the field do not
ike to engage in doing work involving
he use Of hand tools. 1t may be very
light work like preparing beds in garden,
'etting out strawberry plants and pruh-
ng bushes that produce flowers and fruit
it may be change from ordinary field
abOr--but they nevertheless dislike it.
The substitution Of machines drawn by
,orses or operated by steam power for
oOls that must be used by the exercise of
human strength has had a tendency to
liminish skill in most sorts of manual
abOr. The man who has used gang
blow, riding cultivator, a mower, hay
AXE and self binding harvester for several